The Philadelphia 76ers head to Hoosier State to test the Indiana Pacers in a showdown between early Eastern Conference leaders.
The Sixers are 4th in the Eastern Conference right now at 29-16 while the Pacers are two games better at number three with their 29-14 record. Philly is coming off a 42 point win over Minnesota while Indiana enters this game following their 34 point victory over Phoenix.
The Sixers are coming off a statement victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday night. In that game, Philly unleashed their offensive might by scoring 83 points in the first half and finishing the game with 149 points and a 42 point win over the T-Wolves. The win pushed the Sixers to 4th in the Eastern Conference at 29-16.
Joel Embiid is proving that he is the best center in the game today. The former Kansas Jayhawk is averaging 27.0 points, 13.3 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game. Jimmy Butler is scoring 18.7 points, grabbing 4.9 rebounds and coming up with 1.85 steals per game. Ben Simmons is putting up 16.7 points and 8.2 assists per game while the sharpshooting J.J. Redick is scoring 18.3 points per game.
The Sixers have the 4th best scoring offense in the league at 115.4 points per game. However, Philadelphia only ranks 22nd in scoring defense as they’ve allowed their opponents to score an average of 112.4 points per game. The Sixers rank 2nd in passing at 27.2 assists per game and they are also #4 off the glass with an average of 47.5 rebounds per game.
The Indiana Pacers suffered a minor setback when Victor Oladipo was sidelined with an injury early in the season. But the team played through his absence and now are hitting their stride with their all-star guard back. The Pacers have been the best team in the NBA since December 1st as they’ve won 16 out of their 20 games since the final month of 2018.
Oladipo hasn’t been as productive since his return but his mates have been playing better than before ‘Dipo got hurt. Oladipo is averaging 19.5 points, 5.2 assists and 1.7 steals per game. Bojan Bogdanovic is scoring 16.3 points on top of 4.0 rebounds per game. Domantas Sabonis is also having a good season with 15.2 points and 9.7 rebounds per game while Myles Turner, Thaddeus Young and Tyreke Evans are also scoring in twin digits.
Indiana’s scoring offense is just 21st in the league at 109.0 points per game but their scoring defense of 103.0 points per game allowed is the second best in the entire NBA. The Pacers are ranked 6th in passing with 25.9 assists per game. They are also 23rd in rebounding at 43.7 boards per contest.
Philadelphia is 6-2 SU in their last eight games played. The Sixers are 4-2 SU in their last six games played on the road. The Pacers are 9-2 SU in their last 11 games played and are 4-0 SU in their last four games played at home. Head to head, the Pacers are 15-4 SU in their last 19 games against the Sixers and 8-1 SU in their last nine home games against Philadelphia.
The Sixers scored 83 points in the first half in their last game against the Minnesota Timberwolves. That’s proof that this team is one of the best in the league on the offensive end of the basketball court. Philly is ranked 4th overall in the league in team scoring and they have done so with All-Stars Joel Embiid and Jimmy Butler leading the charge. But while the Sixers can attribute their success this season to their offense, the Sixers have failed on the other end of the floor as they’ve given up the 9th most points per game in the league.
On the other hand, defense has been Indiana’s calling card this season. Not only are they among the best in scoring defense but the Pacers rank 5th in opponents field goal percentage at 44.4% and 4th in opponents turnovers at 15.7 per game. 97 points should be a key number in this game as Indiana is 13-1 SU this season when holding their opponents below 97 points during a ballgame.
Both these teams have the offense that can fill up the stats sheet and I think they will go toe to toe on Thursday night. Each team has balanced scoring and neither depends on one player alone so this should be a very good matchup. However, the Pacers have been a dominant 15-5 SU at home and the Sixers are below .500 on the road at 10-12. I think this is a competitive game where Indiana’s top rated defense is going to take at some point during the game. We’re picking the Indiana Pacers to beat the Philadelphia 76ers on 1/17/19.
The 76ers are 2-4 ATS in their last six games played and 8-17 ATS in their last 25 games played on the road. The Pacers are 2-5 ATS in their last seven games played and 3-1 ATS in their last four home games played. Head to head, the Indiana is 5-2 ATS in their last seven games against Philadelphia. The Pacers are also 5-2 ATS in their last seven home meetings against the Sixers.
The Sixers are 1-4 ATS in their last five games after scoring more than 125 points in their previous game, 1-4 ATS in their last five games after an ATS win and 1-4 ATS in their last five games against their Eastern Conference rivals. Meanwhile, the Pacers are 5-1 ATS in their last five games after an ATS win and 4-1 ATS in their last five games against teams with a winning percentage of .600 or better. Likewise, Indiana is 17-7 in their last 24 games against opponents from the Atlantic Division. Both teams are playing very well right now and are coming off big wins. But the Pacers’ defense and them playing at home should be the main differences here. Prediction: Pacers -3
The total has gone over in four out of the last five games played by the Sixers. The under is 4-2 in Philadelphia’s last six road games played. The total has gone over in each of the last five games played by the Pacers.The over is 3-1 in the last four games of Indiana. Head to head, the total has gone under in four out of the last five meetings between these two teams. The total has also hit in five out of the last six meetings between the 76ers and Pacers in Indiana.
Indiana has a stout defense and we’ve seen the under hit in majority of their most recent head to head meetings. But these teams have hit their offensive stride in their last five games. The sixers are averaging 123.2 points per game in their last five games while the Pacers are scoring 117.6 points per game in their last five outings. This one should go over rather easily. Prediction: Over 225
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